Itinerary
- Day 1
Bogota
You'll arrive in Bogota and get transferred to your hotel. From there, you can spend the rest of the day exploring at your own pace or take the optional cable car up Cerro Montserrate in the evening for views across the city, depending on when you land.
Optional Activities
- Cerro Montserrate cable car for city views
Landmarks Cerro Montserrate - Day 2
Bogota
A guided walking tour takes you through Bogota's pedestrian zones and the artists' quarter of Candelaria. After lunch you'll have free time in the afternoon to either visit the Gold Museum or continue exploring on your own.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Guided walking tour of Bogota - pedestrian zones and Candelaria artists' quarter (approximately 4-5 hours)
Optional Activities
- Gold Museum visit
Landmarks Candelaria - Day 3
Mongui
You'll travel to Mongui, a beautiful village, then hike through the paramo landscape surrounding it. Along the way you'll see frailejones, wildflowers, wetlands, waterfalls, and bird species. The hike includes visiting a viewing hill and some of the region's characteristic lakes before you settle in for the night in Mongui.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Guided trek through paramo landscapes around Mongui (approximately 4-5 hours round trip, approximately 500m altitude difference)
Landmarks Mongui Colombian Paramo - Day 4
Paramo
This morning you trek deeper into the paramo, passing lakes and waterfalls while spotting plant species found almost nowhere else on earth. Later you'll camp in a tent so you can reach the paramo's interior tomorrow morning.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided trek through paramo landscape (approximately 4-5 hours, approximately 500m ascent)
Landmarks Colombian Paramo - Day 5
Bogota
You'll explore ancient indigenous sacred sites and stone temples with a guide who explains the history of local tribes and their myths. After the hike you head back to Bogota.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch
Included Activities
- Guided hike to indigenous cultural sites and stone temples (5 hours, approximately 300m ascent and 800m descent)
- Day 6
Bogota to Pereira
The bus ride from Bogota to Pereira takes you through coffee plantations, forests, and mountains. It's a bumpy route but Pereira serves as the gateway to Los Nevados National Park where you're headed next.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Day 7
Pereira to Los Nevados
Meeting at 7am in Pereira, you'll drive to Cedral then trek on an old shepherd's path starting at 2130m. Along the way you have lunch at Refugio Pastora in the Andean rainforest, then continue to the farm El Jordán at 3100m. You'll stay in either tents or a dormitory and learn about how people farm in Colombia's mountains.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch in the Andean rainforest at Refugio Pastora), Dinner
Included Activities
- Trek on old shepherd's path through Andean rainforest to El Jordán farm (approximately 5 hours, approximately 1000m altitude gain)
Landmarks Ucumarí National Park Refugio Pastora - Day 8
Los Nevados
After breakfast at 7am you trek to El Otúan lagoon at 4100m, seeing the paramo ecosystem and views of Paramillo de Quindío, Paramillo de Santa Rosa, and Nevado Santa Isabel. You'll register at the national park entrance, set up camp, and explore viewpoints after lunch.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Mountain breakfast), Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided trek to El Otún lagoon at 4100m (approximately 6 hours walking time, approximately 1000m ascent and descent)
Landmarks El Otún lagoon Nevado Santa Isabel Paramillo de Quindío - Day 9
Los Nevados to Pereira
You descend to El Jordán farm for rest and lunch, then continue to Refugio Pastora for refreshments. After that it's toward Cedral for a pickup and drive back to Pereira, arriving around 7pm.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch
Included Activities
- Guided descent through mountain landscape to Cedral (approximately 3-4 hours walking time, approximately 1000m descent)
- Day 10
Pereira to Salento
A 45-minute drive takes you to Salento where you hike into the coffee zone. Your guide explains coffee cultivation, production, and trade while you walk through lush, hilly landscapes. This evening you'll prepare for tomorrow's climb.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Coffee zone hiking tour (approximately 4-5 hours with breaks and explanations, includes shorter climbs)
Landmarks Salento - Day 11
Cocora Valley to La Primavera
Starting at 7am near Salento, you hike about 3.5 hours through cloud forests past the Acaima nature reserve to Estrella de Agua at 3100m where you break for lunch. Then it's another 3 hours to La Primavera farm at 3750m, covering roughly 1000m of elevation gain with some descents mixed in.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided trek from Cocora Valley to La Primavera farm (approximately 4 hours walking time, approximately 1000m ascent with counter-descents)
Landmarks Cocora Valley Acaima nature reserve 
- Day 12
Paramillo de Quindio
You'll wake at 6am and climb Paramillo de Quindío, a 4750m peak in Los Nevados National Park. The 8-hour trek offers fantastic views positioned between three volcanoes and takes you across unique colorful sands, though it's considered moderately technical.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided summit climb of Paramillo de Quindío at 4750m (approximately 8 hours walking time, approximately 1100m ascent with short counter-descents)
Landmarks Paramillo de Quindío - Day 13
Base Camp Preparation
After breakfast you hike to base camp at 4350m, which takes about 5 hours as your body adjusts to altitude. It's a relaxed pace with a midday arrival, giving you time to rest and prepare your equipment for tomorrow's summit attempt.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided trek to base camp at 4350m (approximately 5 hours walking time, approximately 600m ascent with short counter-descents)
- Day 14
Nevado Summit
You'll wake at 2am for tea and breakfast before starting the summit push. The round trip takes approximately 7 hours. After a short rest at base camp you pack up and descend for 2 hours to La Primavera.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided summit climb to Nevado (approximately 8 hours walking time total, approximately 900m ascent and 1500m descent plus small counter ascents)
- Day 15
Cocora Valley to Manizales
You sleep in until 8am, have breakfast, then descend into Cocora Valley via a different route. The 7-hour trek follows Rio Cardenas for about 19 kilometers through incredible plant and animal variety. Later you drive from Salento to Manizales for better flight connections tomorrow.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch
Included Activities
- Guided trek down Rio Cardenas through Cocora Valley (approximately 4-5 hours walking time, approximately 1000m descent with counter-descents, 19km route)
Landmarks Rio Cardenas - Day 16
Manizales to Santa Marta
Most of today is spent traveling through airports with a short 1-hour flight. You should have some time in the afternoon to see a bit of Santa Marta before settling in.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Landmarks Santa Marta - Day 17
Santa Marta to Ciudad Perdida
You leave very early from Santa Marta for a 2-hour drive to Mamay, starting point for the trek to Ciudad Perdida. From there you trek about 3 hours on steep paths past crystal-clear rivers to the village of Adán where you'll camp in hammocks with mosquito nets.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided trek from Mamay through jungle to camp at Gabriel (approximately 6-6.5 hours total, 11km, approximately 800m ascent and 500m descent)
Landmarks Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta - Day 18
Ciudad Perdida
You reach Ciudad Perdida, a major archaeological site from 900m to 1300m elevation built by the Tayrona tribe in the 13th or 14th century. Exploring the round houses and walking through this complex takes the day, and you'll spend the night here to absorb the atmosphere and photograph at different times.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided trek and exploration of Ciudad Perdida ruins (5-hour walk to ruins, approximately 600m ascent and 300m descent, plus ascents within the ruin complex)
Landmarks Ciudad Perdida - Day 19
Ciudad Perdida to Gabriel
Since the walk back to Gabriel is only 5 hours, you start later in the day. You take sunrise photos and wander the ruins before trekking back through deep jungle for about 8 kilometers, experiencing its flora and fauna while enjoying views and stops to swim in mountain streams.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided trek from Ciudad Perdida to Gabriel through jungle (approximately 5 hours walking time, approximately 300m ascent and 600m descent, 8km)
- Day 20
Gabriel to Santa Marta
This is the longest trek at 7-8 hours, so you start very early to avoid the worst heat. You pass passion fruit, banana, and orange trees where picking is allowed, walk through villages and meet local people (asking permission before photos), have lunch in Mamey, then drive back to Santa Marta.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch
Included Activities
- Guided trek from Gabriel to Mamey (approximately 7-8 hours walking time, approximately 500m ascent and 800m descent)
- Day 21
Santa Marta to Bogota
You fly about 1 hour back to Bogota, reviewing your tour experiences along the way. Once in the capital you'll have time for souvenir shopping before heading to the airport.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Souvenir shopping in Bogota
- Day 22
Departure from Bogota
As you fly back to Europe, you'll see mountains, beaches, jungle, and Bogota's sprawling cityscape one final time. Colombia has plenty worth exploring on a second visit.
- Meals
- Breakfast
